Ever wonder what happens to those students who constantly talk in class? The ones who drive you crazy with their chatter? The ones that hear from some of their teachers that they'll never make anything of themselves unless they stop talking and pay attention in class?
Well some of them become talk show hosts on the biggest talk radio station in the state! That's what happened to one of my students. Luckily he and I always got along well. He not only was in my math class, he was also in the drama club which I advised for many years. I also had his 3 siblings in class.
I ran into him the other day at the local coffee shop/restaurant. It was great to see him again - a college graduate, extremely knowlegeable about every topic imaginable from local to national politics, from imigration to pop culture. He and I don't agree on many things but I am proud of all he's accomplished and how he's chosen to make a difference in the world.
He's invited me to come in and see him at work. In fact, I may even be a guest someday to provide the posiive viewpoint to balance all the negative news in the world (quite an honor to be asked and considered as a guest especially as the positive resource) and all the fired up rhetoric he uses to get callers to participate.
He's done quite well for himelf...the kid who was always talking in class...the auditory student who could quote every line of "The Little Mermaid" when he was in the 10th grade.
So the next time a student is talking out, or doodling in their notebook, or fidgeting in class - consider that they may be the next budding radio personality, the next cartoonist or architect, or the next Michael Phelps. Seeing them in that light may help us cope with their actions while giving us the tools to inspire them to be what meshes with their strengths!
And remember to be kind to your students. They may have their own radio show some day!!
PS...I'm in luck! He liked me and actually spoke about me on the radio one day when asked who his all time favorite teacher was! Whew!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Settling in
By about this time of the school year, things have settled in a bit. You know the names of your students and feel a bit more comfortable in each class. You're accustomned to your new routine, the way the classes rotate, the new rules that may have changed over the summer with perhaps a new administrator or just a new outlook for the school at large.
This was one of my favorite times of the school year. The year was still fresh but we were past that 'new year' feeling when students were usually too quiet because they didn't feel too comfortable in the class. In that first month, I had so much on my plate that I wasn't opened to one more new idea from anyone. I just needed to survive the day to day workload while trying to get a handle on the 150 or students who had joined that scholastic journey with me.
I know most of the people on this list because you were in one of my speaking sessions at a national convention. Most of you know that I've been working on a compilation of the strategies that worked for me in the classroom, strategies that caused my students to ask repeatedly, "Why doesn't everyone teach like you?" Those techniques also got me named Teacher of the Year and recognized as a leader in learning by Cable in the Classroom and the US Senate.
Well, that compilation is finally done and is now ready for those of who you feel you could benefit from some of the things I've learned in my 28 years in the classroom. You'll see a link for it to the left of this posting or you can just click here.
I dropped the price from $15.99 which was suggested by my publisher to $11.99 for those of you on my mailing list because of all the great comments you've left for me which has allowed me to get booked into other events.
This book will also be available in paperback form and as an audio CD later this fall.
This will be my only posting where I talk about my book although the link for it will always be on this site. Feel free to pass the link along to friends who might benefit from this book too!
Hope you're having a great school year!
This was one of my favorite times of the school year. The year was still fresh but we were past that 'new year' feeling when students were usually too quiet because they didn't feel too comfortable in the class. In that first month, I had so much on my plate that I wasn't opened to one more new idea from anyone. I just needed to survive the day to day workload while trying to get a handle on the 150 or students who had joined that scholastic journey with me.
I know most of the people on this list because you were in one of my speaking sessions at a national convention. Most of you know that I've been working on a compilation of the strategies that worked for me in the classroom, strategies that caused my students to ask repeatedly, "Why doesn't everyone teach like you?" Those techniques also got me named Teacher of the Year and recognized as a leader in learning by Cable in the Classroom and the US Senate.
Well, that compilation is finally done and is now ready for those of who you feel you could benefit from some of the things I've learned in my 28 years in the classroom. You'll see a link for it to the left of this posting or you can just click here.
I dropped the price from $15.99 which was suggested by my publisher to $11.99 for those of you on my mailing list because of all the great comments you've left for me which has allowed me to get booked into other events.
This book will also be available in paperback form and as an audio CD later this fall.
This will be my only posting where I talk about my book although the link for it will always be on this site. Feel free to pass the link along to friends who might benefit from this book too!
Hope you're having a great school year!
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